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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485974">strange magic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegTheMighty/pseuds/MegTheMighty'>MegTheMighty</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, Gifts, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Stargazing, Young Royai, even more fluff now included, i cannot stress enough how much i love them, old married couple still being dorks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:49:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,352</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485974</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegTheMighty/pseuds/MegTheMighty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I don’t dislike alchemy,” she said. “Since I don’t know how to perform it, it’s a bit like magic. It’s mysterious but exciting, like the stars.”</i>
</p>
<p>  <i>Roy watched as her gaze left him and her face immediately lit up as she studied the sky once more. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to see her looking at him that way: for her eyes to widen at his magic, her radiant smile to be caused by him, her whole being contented because of his presence.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. you're walking meadows in my mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>When I sat down with my laptop, I 100% intended to work on and hopefully update at least one of my WIPs. Instead, this happened. I can't complain though because I love young royai and I haven't explored them nearly enough. I hope you enjoy this shameless bit of fluff!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A gentle breeze caused waves across the fields, and the moonlight was so bright that Roy could almost make out individual flowers and blades of grass far in the distance. But he wasn’t focused on the beauty of the eastern countryside late at night; he was focused on the beauty of the country girl laying next to him, staring up at the sky in wonder. </p>
<p>A small part of him was surprised she enjoyed stargazing so much, given her tendency to work until she collapsed and hardly spare a second for herself, but he was relieved whenever she would let herself have those small moments of joy. </p>
<p>“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” she answered straightaway. “That’s what’s so nice. I don’t have to worry about anything out here.”</p>
<p>Riza had a soft smile on her face, but her words made him frown. Roy knew that during the day she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. All the tasks it took to run the meager farm fell to her, and Master Hawkeye rarely gave him a moment to even try to help out. Those chores were in addition to going to school, shopping at the market, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of herself. His sisters would complain that Madame Christmas was a slave driver when it came to delegating work, but their woes were nothing compared to Riza’s.</p>
<p>“What’s on your mind?” she asked in return.</p>
<p><i>You,</i> his mind whispered. </p>
<p>“The stars,” he lied. “Some old philosophers used to think that celestial bodies would have some effect on alchemy, but I don’t think there’s really a scientific basis in any of that. It’s not something your father has researched much anyway.”</p>
<p>Roy had returned his eyes to the sky while he spoke, but he could practically hear her eyes rolling at him. “You’re both always thinking about science and alchemy.”</p>
<p>“Don’t you want to know how the world works?” he defended. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I never got to learn any alchemy, and at this point I don’t really want to. It’s not like I would be good at it anyway.”</p>
<p>Riza was still focused on the shining stars, but there was a slight change in her tone. He shouldn’t have brought up alchemy, he scolded himself, it could only ruin her rare chance to be so carefree and happy. As if she could sense his regretful thoughts, Riza turned toward Roy with a soft smile. </p>
<p>“I don’t dislike alchemy,” she said. “Since I don’t know how to perform it, it’s a bit like magic. It’s mysterious but exciting, like the stars.”</p>
<p>Roy watched as her gaze left him and her face immediately lit up as she studied the sky once more. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to see her looking at him that way: for her eyes to widen at his magic, her radiant smile to be caused by him, her whole being contented because of his presence.</p>
<p>Roy immediately rolled over and sat up, tearing his section of the blanket off the ground to expose the dirt beneath.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” </p>
<p>Roy didn’t answer right away, focusing on tracing a perfect circle despite the rocks and weeds in his way. The patch of dirt wasn’t large, but he hoped it would be enough not to make a fool of himself. With a few more lines drawn inside the modest circle, he tore the old ring off his finger and placed it in the middle. Riza shifted behind him to get a better look at what he was doing, and he moved aside to oblige her.</p>
<p>He placed his hands on the edge of the circle to activate it and blue sparks erupted from the ground. Riza’s soft gasp sounded near his ear but she stayed firmly planted in place at his side. Some dust was kicked up from the transmutation, but once it cleared, the reformed pieces of metal were sitting there exactly as he imagined. </p>
<p>“Was that like magic?” he asked confidently. Roy could barely keep the proud smirk off his face.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Riza whispered. “But what did you make? Wasn’t that a family heirloom?”</p>
<p>“I know it belonged to someone in my family, but it doesn’t really have much history to me,” he shrugged. Roy was still waiting for her look of wonder and admiration, but instead Riza was staring at him as if he were insane.</p>
<p>“Why would you change it?”</p>
<p>“Here,” he said, picking up the pieces and holding one in each hand up to the sides of her face. She couldn’t see what he was doing, but Roy nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the simple earrings. They would suit her perfectly. Roy placed them in her hands so she could finally see what he had created. </p>
<p>“Oh.” Riza turned away quickly, even going so far as to move all the way to the edge of the blanket. </p>
<p>Roy frowned again and wondered where he had gone wrong. “If you don’t like it-”</p>
<p>“No, no,” she corrected. “I do, I just…thank you.” She looked back at him shyly, with only a hint of a smile but pink spreading across her cheeks.</p>
<p>Even with the barest of visual indications, Roy could tell she was happy. Riza’s voice had that soft quality that he only ever heard when she was talking about something she loved: her mother, a new book, the stars.</p>
<p><i>And now your gift too,</i> he thought.</p>
<p>Riza straightened her back slightly, moving back toward his side of their blanket inch by inch.</p>
<p>“It really is magical,” she admitted. “Thank you, Roy.”</p>
<p>Before he could insist that she never had to thank him, her lips were gently pressed against his cheek. He froze, unsure whether to pull away from the kiss or turn his face toward hers just enough to make it much less innocent. </p>
<p>Riza made the decision for him when she yanked her whole body back and scrambled to her feet. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I have a lot to do tomorrow,” she quickly excused herself. “There’s so many chores, and I’ll need to wake up in time to go to school, and I…” </p>
<p>She stopped herself from rambling and stepped away to start her descent down the small hill. Roy still sat on the ground, slightly dumbfounded. She had no reason to be embarrassed; her actual actions were unimaginably better than the look of wonder he had been hoping for. To think she actually kissed him… </p>
<p>Roy couldn’t bring himself to his feet just yet, so he settled for watching as Riza approached the house. When she was halfway to the back door, she turned around briefly and caught his eyes. He saw the barely contained joy in her expression, and vowed to do anything to keep it there forever.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. i've seen the way it's got to end</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roy turned back to make sure Riza was still following closely behind him. She sent him a tired look, but he simply smiled brightly and tugged gently on her hand to pull her along. Her hair was growing out again and a few strands fluttered in the familiar gentle breeze.</p>
<p>“I have so much to do tomorrow, Roy,” she protested. “General Armstrong needs me to call her about an issue with the Ministry of Defense. And I hardly did any work today, and all the animals need-”</p>
<p>“Shh,” he hushed softly. “I don’t want you worrying about chores right now, I can take care of it. What else is a former Fuhrer to do anyway? Besides, we wouldn’t have so much to do if you would stop adopting every stray you see.”</p>
<p>“Black Hayate is older now, he needs more company around to take care of him,” she claimed. “Either way, I’m tired.”</p>
<p>“What happened to your sense of adventure, Miss Hawkeye?” he teased. “We used to come up here all the time and you never complained.”</p>
<p>“A lot can change in twenty years,” she argued. “Usually hills seem smaller once you grow up, but I’m convinced this one must have gotten bigger.”</p>
<p>Roy chuckled at her complaints, but wrapped a supportive arm around her back. “I would offer to carry you, but you’ve refused me every time.”</p>
<p>“Only because I don’t want to be dropped.”</p>
<p>He didn’t argue with that, knowing that Riza would just insist she was too heavy now, no matter how much he promised he would never drop her. According to Havoc, listening to your pregnant wife no matter what she said was the key to success. As if Roy hadn’t been listening to everything Riza said for two decades, far longer than they had been married or expecting a child.</p>
<p>When they finally reached the top of the hill, he spread out the well-worn blanket across the flattest piece of earth he could find. The edges were fraying and the color had faded long ago, but Roy refused to let it be replaced. Riza thought he was being a ridiculous sap, but even she admitted it was nice to hold onto the few happy memories that her childhood home held and find all the objects that would bring the sweet feeling of nostalgia.</p>
<p>Roy noticed as she started to bend down to sit and immediately moved behind her to bear some of her weight and make sure she didn’t fall. He thought Riza might huff at him for being overprotective, but instead she smiled softly. The loving look in her eyes was completely unguarded, and sometimes it still shocked him that he got to see it. There were too many years of restraint and denial between them and now that all barriers were broken down, Roy savored every moment. </p>
<p>“You might have to carry me back to the house later,” Riza said from the ground. “I’m not sure I could get up from here.”</p>
<p>She reached for his hand to pull him down next to her, and Roy quickly obliged. He shifted so that his body was slightly further away from her, earning a raised eyebrow from his wife.</p>
<p>“Put your head in my lap,” he instructed softly. “I forgot to bring a pillow for you, but that’s close enough.”</p>
<p>She silently laid down, settling her head until it was comfortable and stretched out her limbs. Roy finally gave into the temptation and stroked a hand through her loose hair. The golden strands were thick but inconceivably soft; it felt as though he was running his fingers across fine silk, or a flower petal. </p>
<p>“I have a confession,” he whispered after a while, his hand never stopping its gentle ministrations.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Riza’s eyes didn’t leave the bright, starry sky, but he knew she was listening.</p>
<p>“I was sorting out some of our things earlier and I found a pair of your old earrings, the ones I gave you. I noticed you hadn’t been wearing them recently, so I kept them for a bit.”</p>
<p>She looked up at him and frowned. “I still wear them, I’ve just been trying to wear a few other pairs more since I don’t need to follow a dress code anymore.”</p>
<p>“Well I was actually hoping you wouldn’t mind if I changed them again,” he said, voice wavering. Anyone else wouldn’t have noticed it, but it was Riza. She always noticed. Her hand reached up to squeeze his.</p>
<p>“Originally, I thought I would just polish up the metal a bit,” he continued. “But I realized that it would be nice if you had something to wear all the time.” She was looking at him expectantly. “If you want.”</p>
<p>Roy nudged Riza’s back forward a bit, helping her sit up again. She obliged and turned to face him with questioning eyes. Her ability to read him made it almost impossible to pull off surprises, but Roy figured he might have actually done it this time. </p>
<p>The cold made his hands even stiffer than usual. They shook as he reached into his pocket, whether from his old injuries or nerves, he wasn’t sure. There was no reason to be nervous in front of his wife, but Riza still managed to have that effect on him.</p>
<p>Roy finally pulled his gift out and slowly opened his hand for her to see. The familiar metal was reformed, back into a familiar shape.</p>
<p>“Is that…the original ring?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I know you already have one, and we already had a wedding, but I figured this is what I was trying to give you all along,” he explained. “I just didn’t have much tact at seventeen.”</p>
<p>Riza laughed quietly, but he could tell it wasn’t at him. “And here I thought all along you were just trying to impress me back then. If I had known it was a proposal, I would have given you a real kiss.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I was definitely trying to impress you as well,” he chuckled. “And that <i>was</i> a real kiss, Mrs. Mustang, otherwise I wouldn’t have remembered that night so well.”</p>
<p>“You’re sweet,” Riza whispered, leaning in to kiss his cheek once again. Roy took the moment to slide his old ring onto her finger so it sat just above the one he gave her a few months prior. </p>
<p>“Lay back down.”</p>
<p>“We can’t stay out here too late.”</p>
<p>“We won’t, just a little longer.”</p>
<p>They returned to their original position, with Riza staring up at the sky contentedly. Roy simply took in the sight of her, and a sudden realization hit. Before he left, before Ishval, before everything went wrong, all he wanted was for her to look at him in wonder and awe, like he was magic and mystery. That hope became impossible when she saw firsthand the monster he really was, and her every glance was that of a jaded killer as well. </p>
<p>But now, in a quiet moment when finally they had done something right, he found himself looking at <i>her</i> in that way he dreamed of. Her very presence made him content and brought a radiant smile to his face. Riza was a magic he couldn’t explain, and she was all he ever needed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>After I started the first chapter, I couldn't resist adding more to the story because I'm such a sucker for happy endings. I thought having a parallel moment once they finally get to be together would wrap everything up nicely, especially with Roy realizing that he was the one who should be in awe, not Riza :') </p>
<p>I hope you all think this was a fitting end, feel free to drop a comment and let me know!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel free to let me know what you think! I definitely want to write more of them like this, young and carefree and a little bit awkward ;')</p></blockquote></div></div>
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